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New Pilots (what are the requirements)
In the U.S., a sport pilot certificate allows the pilot to operate a light-sport aircraft (a small, low-powered aircraft), under a limited set of flight conditions. We’ll define the aircraft that qualify as a light sport in another article.
The U.S. Sport Pilot certificate is similar to other countries' ultralight certificates. It is the only U.S. pilot certificate for powered aircraft that does not require a medical examination; a driver's license can be used as proof of medical competence.
Simply speaking, to qualify for the Sport pilot certificate in the airplane single engine land (ASEL) category (what most people would refer to and recognize as an airplane) an applicant must:
- Be 17 years of age
- Be able read, speak, write, and understand English
- Log at least 20 hours of flight time of which at least
- 15 hours must be dual instruction with a qualified flight instructor
- 2 hours must be cross-country dual instruction
- 5 hours must be solo flight
- Fly one solo cross-country over a total distance of 75 or more nautical miles to two different destinations to a full-stop landing. At least one leg of this cross-country must be over a total distance of at least 25 nautical miles.
- Have received 3 hours of dual instruction in the preceding 60 days
- Pass a written test
- Pass a practical test
Sport Pilots are only eligible to fly aircraft that are either certified specifically as light-sport aircraft (LSA) or were certified prior to the LSA regulations and are within the maximum weight and performance limitations of light-sport aircraft. We’ll get to the specifics on what defines an light sport aircraft after we cover the restrictions of a sport pilot.
The restrictions placed on a pilot exercising the privileges of a sport pilot certificate are:
- No more than one passenger
- Daytime flight only (civil twilight is used to define day/night)
- No flight above 10,000 feet MSL
- No flight in any of the airspace classes that require radio communication (classes A, B, C, or D) without first obtaining additional instruction and instructor endorsement.
- The Sport pilot certificate is also ineligible for additional ratings (such as an Instrument rating), although time in sport-light aircraft can be used towards the experience requirement of other ratings on higher certificate types.
So how does this compare with the original private pilot airmen certification and the privileges that go along with that rule? The table below is a general outline that will very distinctly outline the comparison of a sport pilot vs. a private pilot rating.
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Sport Pilot (Airplane Category)
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Private Pilot
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Hours of Instruction
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20 hours
(15 dual, 5 solo)
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40 hours
(minimum: 20 dual, 10 solo)
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Medical Clearance
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U.S. Driver’s license
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3rd-class certificate from an FAA-approved aviation medical examiner
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Airplane Specifications
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Single engine, two-seat, fixed landing gear, fixed-pitch propeller, maximum speed 120 knots, maximum weight 1320 lb.
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Virtually unrestricted, depending on the pilot’s training and ratings
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Passengers Allowed
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One
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Unrestricted
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Weather, Time of Day
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Visual flight rules: daytime with 3 miles visibility, 1000-ft. cloud ceiling
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Same as sport pilot plus night flying privileges with proper currency
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Airspace Categories
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Low-traffic E and G airspace
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More congested B,C and D airspace, as well as E and G
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As you can see two major areas stand out in this table: 20 hours of training compared with 40 and US Driver’s license compared with a 3rd class medical for pilot qualification. Sport pilot ads a new and fresh perspective to whom can fly in the US skies and directly reflects what it will cost to learn.
NEXT: Sport Pilot Aircraft Types
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